Liberty (11-6, 2-0) vs. FGCU (11-6, 1-2)
Fort Myers, Florida – Alico Arena (Capacity: 4,500)
Saturday, Jan. 15, 7:00 p.m.
ESPN+
Last Meeting: Liberty won both games during the 2019-20 season
Series History: Liberty leads 4-0
Projected LU Starters:
2 Darius McGhee (Sr., 5-9, 150) – 21.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.1 apg
23 Joseph Venzant (Fr., 6-3, 170) – 4.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 0.6 apg
20 Keegan McDowell (R-Sr., 6-6, 180) – 10.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.0 apg
22 Kyle Rode (Jr., 6-7, 220) – 5.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.8 apg
33 Shiloh Robinson (R-Jr., 6-7, 200) – 9.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 0.9 apg
Projected FGCU Starters:
5 Tavian Dunn-Martin (Sr., 5-8, 155) – 19.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 5.8 apg
4 Cyrus Largie (Jr., 6-3, 204) – 11.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.6 apg
2 Caleb Catto (Sr., 6-5, 182) – 7.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.5 apg
10 Zach Anderson (So., 6-7, 205) – 4.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 0.9 apg
21 Kevin Samuel (Sr., 6-11, 255) – 11.2 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 0.9 apg
PREVIEW
After not meeting last season because of COVID cancellations, Liberty and Florida Gulf Coast will renew their brief rivalry on Saturday evening in Fort Meyers, Florida.The Flames are 4-0 all-time against the Eagles, sweeping the season series in each of Liberty’s first two seasons in the ASUN.
FGCU had one of their best non-conference seasons in recent years, finishing at 10-4 before the turn of the new year and beginning of conference play. Their best win was over a KenPom top 100 team in Rhode Island while their losses were to Loyola Chicago, USC, FIU, and Canisius.
The Eagles began ASUN play with a 74-67 win on their home floor over North Florida before dropping its last two games, both on the road, to Jacksonville and Kennesaw State. The Dolphins defeated FGCU on a buzzer-beating three pointer to win the game 69-66. On Thursday evening, the Owls blasted FGCU, 77-53, as the Eagles only made 33.3% of their field goal attempts and 22.2% of their three-point attempts.
Two transfers are leading the way for fourth year head coach Michael Fly. Point guard Tavian Dunn-Martin joined FGCU this year after spending his previous three seasons at Duquesne. He started 15 games last year, leading the team in minutes played, three-pointers, and assists and was third on the team in scoring at 10.2 points per game.
TCU transfer Kevin Samuel provides an interior presence that much of the ASUN can’t match. His name may be familiar as Liberty faced Samuel last season against TCU. The Flames dropped that game, 56-52, and Samuel finished the game with 8 points and 5 rebounds in 26 minutes played.
KENPOM PREDICTION
Liberty 72, FGCU 69
